Georgia House backs electronic voting machines in final vote

ATLANTA (AP) - Legislation calling for Georgia to purchase new electronic touchscreen voting machines that print a paper ballot is headed to the governor's desk.

The House passed the election bill Thursday, a day after Senate approval.

The bill would replace a system that offers no auditable paper trail.

Republican lawmakers and many county election officials say the proposed $150 million purchase of electronic ballot marking devices will be the easiest to administer and can accommodate all Georgians.

But Democrats, cybersecurity experts, and others say the machines are hackable and hand-marked paper ballots would be cheaper and more secure.

The proposal comes months after Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, then the secretary of state, defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams in the governor’s race, and amid several lawsuits challenging the state’s handling of elections.

Mya Johnson

A few GOP senators spoke out this week against a new round of Trump's complaints about the Arizona senator, who died in August of brain cancer . One Republican called the president's ongoing commentary "deplorable." Others, such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, pointedly used the word "her